Tryptophan in turkey makes you tired – fact or fiction?

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving dinner makes you sleepy – I had always heard this was because turkey is loaded with an amino acid called tryptophan. The theory goes that tryptophan gets converted to serotonin in the body, which a chemical that plays a part in the regulation of sleep.

I decided to do a little research, and it turns out this is a MYTH! Yes, tryptophan in turkey does get converted to serotonin, but you would need to eat a lot of turkey to increase levels of serotonin in your body to the level that they could make you sleepy. Also, tryptophan is best absorbed on a relatively empty stomach, which you probably don’t have after a big Thanksgiving meal. And finally, turkey has a comparable amount of tryptophan as other meats, so the Thanksgiving turkey shouldn’t make you any more tired than eating a serving of chicken or beef.

More likely than not, you feel like you need a nap after Thanksgiving dinner simply because you have eaten a big meal. Proportionately more blood needs to flow to your gut to help digest the food, which means there is slightly less blood flow to your brain, causing drowsiness.

I’m enjoying being back in Bethlehem spending time with my family and away from the books. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving as well!